This work presents a biographical account of the Buddha as composed by the Buddhist poet Asvaghosha and preserved through a layered transmission from Sanskrit into Chinese, and from Chinese into English.
Focusing on the Buddha's birth, princely life, renunciation, spiritual discipline, enlightenment, and teaching mission, it offers a narrative shaped by devotional, ethical, and philosophical concerns central to early Buddhist literature. Situated within the tradition of poetic hagiography, the text reflects the values, imagery, and doctrinal emphases of Indian Buddhism as they were understood and transmitted across cultures. Themes of compassion, impermanence, self-discipline, and liberation from suffering run throughout the narrative.
As both a religious biography and a literary document of transmission, the book provides enduring insight into how the life of the Buddha was understood, revered, and retold across languages and traditions.
By:
Samuel Beal Imprint: Left of Brain Books Dimensions:
Height: 203mm,
Width: 133mm,
Spine: 28mm
Weight: 558g ISBN:9781397670151 ISBN 10: 1397670150 Pages: 402 Publication Date:17 January 2026 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active